Credits & Solicit Info:

Frank makes a bold choice when he decides to go after a dirty cop on the Kingpin's payroll. Having the psychotic assassin Bullseye hot on his trail is one thing, but can the Punisher hold off the entire NYPD as well?

Review:

Jason Aaron is one of the most popular new writers in comics today,
Scalped is of course rightly hailed as one of the best comics on the
stands, his Wolverine is spot-on, and he even made people like Ghost
Rider. GHOST RIDER! But for some strange reason, his run on PunisherMax
seems to be flying under a lot of people's radars. Maybe the shadow cast
by Garth Ennis is too long, maybe people love Franken-Castle so much
they can't so much as contemplate going back to a pure crime Punisher
book. Who knows, and who cares, because they are wrong, PunisherMax is
bloody amazing, and this issue is perhaps the best yet.

Since #1, Aaron's take on the Punisher has been to compare and contrast
our pal Frank with the Kingpin, to show how the two men, while at
eachother's throats, are actually similar. It's a very similar
technique, and one which has been enhanced by the addition of MAX
Bullseye to the equation. This issue is a study of 3 different men, and
the lengths they will go to to achieve their goals, and just how fucked
up they are.

And trust me, this book is fucked up. Bullseye's is the most fucking
brutal. He kidnaps a family, attempts to live as a family man, just like
Frank Castle was, and then engineers for them to be killed in a Park,
just like Frank. It's an attempt to get inside what makes the Punisher
really tick, It's really and truly quite disturbing. But then it's also
quite funny, and it's an incredibly inventive way to try and take out
Frank. Maybe I'm just a psycho like Bullseye, but this was brilliant
storytelling. MAX Bullseye is just such an amazing character, after only
3 issues, I think he's one of the most interesting villains I've come
across.

Frank's portion of the book deals with him torturing a corrupt Cop, he
removes fingers, ears, and even threatens the man's unmentionables. And
then when he recieves one particular piece of bad news... Frank crosses a
line, he crosses a big mother-loving line, and from this point on, you
know Aaron isn't going to hold back, I don't think even Ennis' Punisher
did what he does here.

The Kingpin's story is disturbing on a different level to that of Frank
and Bullseye's, as it deals with the cold-heartedness of Wilson Fisk,
and what he did in #5, which if you haven't read yet, do so immediately,
it's the cruelest, most fucked-up thing you'll read in comics. I love
it. You can sense the pain underneath Fisk's exterior, you can see why
he does what he does, but you can also understand why his wife, Vanessa
acts as she does.

Steve Dillon and Matt Hollingsworth provide the art for this issue, and
they do a reliably excellent job. Nobody draws violence and viscera
better than Dillon, and while his art may be one reason why people keep
comparing this to Ennis, it's still a perfect fit, the violence is
great, the dark humour is conveyed very well. A story like this doesn't
need flash and bombast, it needs Steve Dillon.

This issue is one which tells 3 stories of 3 very disturbed men as they
circle around eachother, anticipating a big showdown, when the 3 stories
dovetail into one breathtaking page of gun-shots which actually left me
breathless, (well, maybe not quite, but it was great) if you aren't
shocked and excited and desperately anticipating more, you may be in a
coma. If you've been avoiding PunisherMax, you've made a huge mistake.
If you aren't squeamish, if you aren't afraid to have your perceptions
of what is acceptable and morally right in a comic changed, pick up this
issue and be blown away.

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About the Author - Niam Suggitt

Niam Suggitt, Punchy to his friends, is the most humblest of all the Outhouse writers. His easy going manner and ability to see and recognize the point of views of those who he disagrees with has made him one of the most sought after members of our community to resolve conflicts. Although he likes all of you, and considers everyone to be his friend, Punchy would prefer you use “Niam Suggitt” when quoting him for the front cover blurb on your book. Follow this wonder of a man at @NiamSuggitt, if you want to, he’s cool with you either way.